Black Sky
by Plaidface
Summary: An ace fighter pilot, Nimbus has killed his fair share of ponies in the great war that rages across Equestria. He is too bloodied to feel any remorse and too hollow to fear death. Yet perhaps there's a reason to keep flying. Too magical sisters that can bring peace to the land. They beckon him to the skies once more for a chance to save Equestria from herself.
1. Prologue

Prologue 

It is two thousand years before the events of _Friendship is Magic_ in a time before Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. Distrust and hatred for one another mark the relationship between the three equine races: the Earth Pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn. The animosity eventually escalates into an all-consuming battle royal known as the Great Equestrian War. The result is inconclusive but in the ensuing century Earth Ponies begin to grow stronger than their winged or magical brethren. Industrialization enables Earth Ponies to expand at an unprecedented rate, building colossal cities teaming with ponies in numbers once thought unattainable. Their engineers and scientists make great leaps in technology, eventually matching the magical machinations of the Unicorn and even challenging the Pegasus's dominance of the skies.

Fearing for their very survival, the Unicorns and Pegasi forge an uneasy alliance and preemptively attack the Earth Ponies before their technological advances become insurmountable. So begins the 2nd Equestrian War; a bloodbath that consumes over a fifth of Equestria's population. Though the Unicorn and Pegasi make significant gains in the early years, it is eventually the Earth Pony's sheer industrial might that turns the tide. Their great factories produce weapons and munitions in titanic magnitude, supplying a seemingly inexhaustible army that floods across Equestria.

Now in the war's sixth year, the once great empires of the Unicorn and Pegasus are mere shadows of their former glory. Much of their territory has been lost to the Earth Ponies, and only isolated pockets of their empires remain. With the outcome of the war now certain, age old rivalries among the Earth Pony nations begin to resurface. The Weimare Republic, the Rolling Hills Federation, and the Dahlia Empire, all vie for dominance in post war Equestria.

Suspicion and chauvinism begin wearing at their alliance, and minor border skirmishes begin flaring up with alarming frequency. The final months of the 2nd Equestrian War becomes a mad land grab for whatever bit of resources they can secure before the inevitable civil war.


	2. Chapter 1

"Don't do this Nimbus", a meek voice pleaded.

"You know I don't have a choice".

"Everypony will never look at you the same. Your parents. Your brother. Icarus will be devastated to hear his big brother betraye -

"God dammit you think I don't know that!", Nimbus screamed in her face. Two eyes of glistening blue stared back at him. His rage melted away. "I, I'm sorry. Just promise me. Promise me you won't tell my family the truth. They'll sooner kill themselves than be the chains that bind me".

She nodded softly. They stood there for a moment, frozen in time.

"Don't forget me Nimbus" she said, suddenly looking down.

"Of course. I've always..." but his voice failed him. "I'll always think of you".

Nimbus turned around and trotted off into the night. He was glad it was raining.

Nimbus caught himself daydreaming out the window. It was hard for him to imagine he was flying almost 400 mph. In the backdrop of the blue summer sky, his Peregrine fighter seemed as if suspended in mid-air. Nimbus looked down at his gauges: 381 mph at 15,000 ft. Only the rumble of the 2200 hp engine behind the cockpit reminded him the fighter was tearing through the sky. Nimbus closed his eyes and leaned deeply into his seat, feeling the vibration of the engine through his spine. He felt the cylinders pump rhythmically through his veins, and let his mane be massaged by the soothing hum of the propellers. Yet something was amiss. His breath felt…..uneven. Nimbus listened intently, working his way through the tubing and gears. "Ah, the number two valve spring", he said to himself. It was beginning to wear out and was causing a slight buildup of exhaust in the cylinder. Nimbus knew it only affected performance by a generous 2.3 hp but it bothered him that his _Peregrine_ was at 99.896% efficiency. He would have to do a thorough overhaul himself after he returned to the fleet. He wasn't about to let some green mechanic touch his machine.

His irritation was interrupted by a nervous voice over the radio.

"Bomber Leader to Obsidian 1. Sir, I just wanted to say it's always an honor flying with the great 'Black Void' himself. I think I speak for all of us bomber crew when I say we feel much safer with you and the Obsidian Squadron above us".

The 'Black Void'. Nimbus sounded the words to himself and felt his tongue recoil in disgust. It was his nickname, known throughout Equestria as the greatest fighter pilot in history with 622 confirmed kills. The name was bestowed on him by the Pegasi after repeatedly losing entire squadrons during the initial phase of the 2rd Equestrian War. Each time before a squadron was wiped out, Pegasi headquarters got desperate distress calls about a _Peregrine_ flown by a black Earth Pony. Radio communications were flooded with screams of agony and sheer panic before the line went dead within minutes, leaving only the eerie drone of static. Or at least this is what the Weimare Republic's newsreels claim. Nimbus himself stopped keeping track of his kills after reaching the 200 mark over three years ago. He wasn't even sure what the Pegasi or even the Unicorns called him having never spoken to their flyers before. 'Son of a Bitch' or 'Piece of Shit' came to mind.

"Maintain radio silence Bomber Leader. We're less than 15 minutes from the target area", Nimbus replied coldly.

"My apologies sir. Best of luck and long live the Weimar Republic".

Nimbus looked down to his portside, eying the lead bomber in the formation below. There were seven flying Vs comprised of eight _Manticore_ light bombers each. For a plane named after such a hodgepodge creature they were rather conventional in appearance. Two engines with front mounted propellers flanked a fuselage slung below the wing. The fuselage was slightly larger than the _Peregrine's_ and tapered off at the end in a twin-tail configuration, affording good visibility to the rear gunner and his twin 50-caliber (12.7mm) machineguns. The plane's simplicity belied its ruggedness however with the gunner and pilot cocooned in thick armor plating. Nimbus was always impressed with the sheer amount of battle damage _Manticores_ could take, and it certainly made escorting them more manageable when they could continue flying on one engine or with a quarter of their wing shot off. His own _Peregrine_ could take some beating as well. He couldn't afford to get careless though; no amount of armor was going to help against a direct hit from Unicorn anti aircraft fire. And that's just what Nimbus was going up against.

Pillars of black smoke appeared in the horizon and soon Nimbus's cockpit was engulfed in the familiar stench of burnt flesh and cordite. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and let the rancid smell shudder him awake after a long and uneventful flight to the mission area. He glanced around the other seven _Peregrines_ in his squadron and saw some of the pilots pull their scarves over their noses. "You foals got more to worry about than odor if you want to live", he thought.

Already anti-aircraft fire came streaking up to greet them. Pink bolts of energy flashed across his windscreen. The black smoke provided a degree of cover in the otherwise clear sky but it won't take long before the Unicorn gunners adjusted their aim. Nimbus quickly hailed the commander of the Republic ground forces below.

"This is Obsidian 1 to General Von Manestein. We are ready to render air-support on your command."

"What took you so bloody long", came an indignant shrill. "My stallions are getting killed out here, and you decide to have a nice lunch before leaving your damn flying hotels? You Air Fleet ponies make me sick. My stallions will begin designating targets. I trust you are competent enough to figure out the rest".

The line went dead with a violent click. Nimbus rolled his eyes. Interservice rivalry between the Army and the Air Fleet was something he could never understand. He flipped the channel on the radio.

"_Manticores_, begin your attack run. We'll provide top cover. Rough Riders, I want those anti aircraft guns suppre –"

"Hell no! Rocky's Rough Riders ain't got ammo to waste strafing Unics so you can pad your kill count".

Just hearing that voice made Nimbus's blood boil. It was Rocky Dynamo, leader of a another squadron of _Peregrines_ watching over the bombers. He was the third highest scoring ace in the fleet and self-proclaimed 'Baddest Pilot in Equestria'. "Everyone's so bucking friendly today", Nimbus muttered. But before he could retort, a bright flash caught his attention. He knew what it was almost instantly, and cursed himself for wasting time on this roid-raging buffoon. A _Manticore_ was hit right in its bomb bay and was hurtling towards the ground in a giant ball of flame.

"Obsidians lets go". With that, Nimbus nosed his plane into a steep dive towards earth.

The battlefield below was a mess of tracers and explosions crisscrossing down a large ridgeline. The ridge consisted of three large hills roughly 1000 ft. high which dominated the surrounding landscape. Nimbus was well acquainted with the area, having flown dozens of sorties softening up the target before the assault now underway. The once dense forest which covered the hills was reduced to patchworks of greenery, occasionally interspersed with grey piles of rubble from leveled hamlets. Yet the myriad of craters from artillery bombardments and air strikes seems to have had little effect given the volume of fire being poured down by the Unicorn defenders. The hills were transformed into a veritable fortress with intricate tunnel systems and hardened bunkers, far stronger than intel suggested it seemed.

Following the streams of pink energy bolts with his eyes, Nimbus throttles towards the nearest anti-aircraft battery in his flight path. He centered the large guns in his reflector sights and pulled the trigger. His _Peregrine_ reverberated with the thundering chug of his four nose mounted 20mm cannons. The high explosive rounds made quick work of the battery's volatile crystal power generator, which exploded into a magnificent light show of pink lighting. As he pulled up, he saw similar explosions all over the hills.

"Fan out and keep at it. I don't want more than two fighters on a single battery. Stay low and don't get predictable".

With his command the Obsidian Squadron skimmed across the hills at tree top height in all directions. He could feel the panic set in among the Unicorn gunners below as their fire became increasingly rapid and haphazardous. Their anti aircraft guns were respectable and in some ways superior to comparable Earth Pony weapons. The gunners could adjust the charge put into each shot depending on the altitude, ranging from 8 rounds a minute at 30,000 ft to 200 rounds a minute for point defense. This eliminated the need for specialized weapons like the Earth Ponies, which relied on a combination of flak guns and auto-cannons. The energy bolts were also more powerful shot-for-shot than conventional ammunition.

Unfortunately for the Unicorns, they might as well have been shooting at flies. Nimbus's squadron was flying far too low and fast for them to turn their guns in time. The Unicorn's favored energy weapons also came with a cost; they had a bad habit of announcing their position with those bright lights.

Nimbus spotted another gun as he came screaming around a hill. He was flying so low now he could see several unicorns fleeing the battery in panic. Several ponies were caught in the violent explosion as his cannons lit up the gun before all of them could escape. He swore he saw one of them (….or was it pieces of them) hurl past his canopy but he shoved it in the back of his mind and peeled away from the blast.

He continued ducking and weaving though the hills, destroying several more guns. The hills were now blooming with macabre flowers of pink blasts as well as orange fireballs from the _Manticores'_ 1000lbs bombs. Hailed by green signal flares from the infantry, the bombers were diving in with deadly precision. Numerous hidden bunkers lay exposed and gutted with rebars contorted into mangled vines. Thousands of soldiers followed up the bombing runs, finishing off the bunkers with flamethrowers and hoof grenades. For every one Earth Pony the Unicorns killed it was as though three more sprang up to take his place, as Republic troops charged in with robotic efficiency. Already, signals flares were appearing more than half way up the hills.

A few bombs were also exploding a good distance away from the ridge, supporting a large column of tanks making a flanking maneuver. The tanks were driving well past the hills and beginning to cut across, threatening to encircle the Unicorn position. Nimbus could see very little resistance from that area. An occasional pink light was instantly smothered by several dozen flashes from Republic tanks as they steamrolled through the light defenses. It appeared the Unicorns concentrated what forces they could muster on the hills. They were digging in to die.

"Sir, Unic fighters inbound from the north", the bomber leader reported.

Nimbus jerked his head up in the direction and made out a melee of silhouettes a mile and a half away. He yanked back on his stick and shoved the throttle all the way forward. He was plastered to his seat as he climbed almost vertically.

"Get altitude now Obsidians", Nimbus shouted.

A familiar voice interjected. "Buck that, you ain't touching my kills. Rocky is too much stallion for these Unics."

Rocky wasn't all talk though. As Nimbus got closer to the dogfight he could see a few _Ganymede _heavy fightersalready going down. They were truly bizarre dragonfly-like aircrafts. The front was similar to the _Manticore_ except the fuselage abruptly ended at the wings. A long narrow tail slightly curving downwards connected a bubble turret, which housed a single energy machinegun.

The real threat wasn't the plane itself however but the three boomerang shaped drones carried underneath the slender tail. They were extremely nimble and telekinetically controlled by a magister seated behind the pilot. In the hands of a gifted magister they were extremely dangerous, though ponies like that were exceedingly rare after six years of war.

"Remember, don't bother turning with the drones. They'll get behind you within two revolutions. You're faster than them. Use hit'n run".

Nimbus leveled off a few hundred feet above the dogfight and let two of his _Peregrines_ swoop down at a straggling _Ganymede_. Their combined cannon fire shredded the heavy fighter, severing it in half before the rear gunner could even react. Two drones chased after the _Peregrines_ but Nimbus and two more Obsidians immediately dove in to intercept. They easily closed the distance and turned the drones into smoldering wrecks with short bursts.

Nimbus quickly scanned his six for enemies as he continued his decent. Seeing nothing but sky he eased up on the throttle and turned himself towards another _Ganymede _below, firing a stream of bullets directly in its path. The _Ganymede_ tried banking hard in vein. Its left wing was torn to pieces as it flew right though the bullets, and spewed flames like a slit jugular.

"You piece of shit!"

Rocky's _Peregrine _came roaring right behind the mortally wounded plane, guns blazing. Nimbus winced as he slammed on his air brakes and turned just in time to avoid a collision. Rocky came so close to his canopy, Nimbus clearly made out a raunchy mare clutching her breasts with her hooves, painted prominently on the side of his plane.

"_You're_ bucking welcome asshole!" Rocky continued ranting but Nimbus ignored it.

He throttled up again and quickly gained airspeed to shake off any potential pursuers. As he turned back for another pass, Nimbus could see tombstones of black streaks emanated from the falling _Ganymedes_. Several parachutes dotted the skies but not everypony was so lucky. A rear gunner was desperately trying to get his hatch open as his plane tailspinned out of control. Flames were clawing at the bubble turret and the machinegun barrel was already melted. Nimbus turned away before he saw the conclusion.

"This is a good old fashioned turkey shoot ain't it Lieutenant", peeped a squadron mate.

"Don't get careless. If we didn't outnumber them this would be a whole different story", Nimbus replied sternly.

Suddenly a shriek tore through his eardrums. "Pe, Pegasi!"

It came from the _Manticores_ and Nimbus looked just in time to see several explosions from their area. He immediately looped his plane around as he screamed for the _Peregrines_ to head back to the bombers. Nimbus ran his hoof across a row of toggle switches and punched a red button at the end, enabling WEP (war emergency power). The speedometer instantly jumped past 450 mph and climbed towards 500 mph. Like a wild beast in pain, the engine groaned loudly as the water-ethanol injection pushed it past its normal limit. "Hang in there buddy, just give me five minutes", Nimbus muttered.

In a stroke of luck the _Manticores_ were already in their wedge formations and just getting ready to leave. Their rear gunners made the best of it, throwing up a deadly pincushion of tracers. A few _Peregrines_ that stayed with the bombers also added to the mayhem. Though judging from the flood of distress calls, the Pegasi were nevertheless pressing home their attacks. Nimbus led the Obsidians below the formation and sent the rest of the squadrons above.

"You know the drill. They're just as fast as our _Peregrines_ if not more so, and a hell of a lot more maneuverable." he told his squadron. "If they're leaving behind a trail of color you're looking at a Pegasus Alpha. You can bet they have at least a 100 mph advanage. Stick with your wingmen. Trust in your armor and firepower".

Nimbus saw around thirty pegasi. Including his own, there were a total of four _Peregrine_ squadrons on this mission for a grand total of thirty two fighters. It was cutting it close. Even worse, he saw two color trails streaking through the formation.

Several pegasi were shooting at the bellies of the _Manticores_ below the rear gunners' line of sight, but immediate broke off their attack and scattered upon seeing the _Peregrines_ approaching. Nimbus picked out a blue pegasus and opened fire. As if threading a needle, the pegasus weaved through the bullets and turned sharply to the right. Knowing he couldn't turn with him, Nimbus responded with a rightwards climb. The pegasus hastily spiraled upwards to get behind him, seeing Nimbus enticingly floating above. It was a trap though. Forcing the pegasus to climb gave Nimbus just enough time to complete his turn and force a head-on engagement.

A single 50-caliber (12.7mm) machinegun was the upper limit of what a pegasus could practically fly with; not a good proposition when facing down four 20mm cannons. Yet by the time he realized his mistake it was far too late. Designed only to resist shrapnel, the giant bullets tore through the pegasus's flak jacket and instantly shredded him into hamburger.

"I got bogies on me! I can't. I can't shake him", came a panicked cry.

A _Peregrine_ flew past him with two pegasi hot on his hooves. The _Peregrine_ made erratic evasive maneuvers but to no avail. The fighter was trailing smoke and pieces of debris.

"Obsidian 5, straighten out now!" Nimbus shouted.

"What! That's suicide!"

"I said straighten out!"

"Negative Sir"

"You can take the hits. Your plane is protected against 50-cals in vital areas"

That seemed to calm him down, and he leveled off his wounded plane. It was just the opportunity Nimbus needed to get a clear shot at the pegasi.

These ponies weren't as green however, and upon seeing their prey suddenly stop turning, they broke off in opposite directions. Nimbus immediately adjusted his aim and fired a hopeful burst before his plane overshot them. A 20mm shell managed to catch a pegasus just in time, blowing off a leg below the knee. The pegasus fought through the pain and did his best to stay airborne, but by the time Nimbus looked back, another _Peregrine_ left nothing of him except red mist.

Nimbus scanned for the second pegasus and saw him turning towards his plane from the 8 o'clock. But before Nimbus could react, a deafening sound filled his cockpit as though he was sitting inside a metal shed in heavy rain. Another pegasus was peppering him with 50-cal bullets from above. Nimbus instinctively bellied up and dove straight down full throttle, hoping the weight of his fighter would give him enough speed to escape.

The ground rushed towards him as the needle blew past 550mph. Even with the tracers wizing past him Nimbus couldn't help himself from grinning. The stick was bouncing around in his hooves as his wings began oscillated under the intense speed. Pieces of metal were flying off his plane, and he wasn't even sure if he could recover from the dive. He loved it.

The tracers didn't let up though and Nimbus was running out of sky. His eyes darted around his flight path looked for something, anything…..a _Manticore_. He fought the ailerons to point himself directly at the burning carcass and fired his cannons at point blank range. He braced for impact as the bomber disintegrated into a wall of flaming debris. A piece of metal tore a long gash on the left wind as he flew through the aerial grenade. Nimbus knew that an air frame of flesh and blood will have it even worse.

He cut off his engine and pulled back on the stick with all his might. The _Peregrine_ pitched violently but started to pull up. Like a minotaur sitting on top of him, gravity pancaked Nimbus into his seat as blood rushed to his hooves. He started blacking out but managed to regained control just in time to see a pegasus with steel plate sticking out of his stomach tumble past him.

Nimbus scanned for the second pegasus, but did a double take upon looking back at the explosion of the _Manticore_. An orange trail crisscrossed the debris at near perpendicular angles. He followed the trail with his eyes and spotted his second assailant coming in from above. Nimbus was too low to dive away, and any other maneuver could easily be cut off by the pegasus's superior aerial position. He was trapped.

All of a sudden the pegasus pulled up from his attack, leaving only an orange right angle right next to his canopy.

"They're disengaging. The pegasi are pulling out". The bomber leader could hardly contain his relief.

The orange pegasus along with several ponies were racing away towards the horizon. Nimbus quickly saw why. Approaching from the opposite direction was a swarm of _Manticores_ and their _Peregrine _escorts. It was the second attack wave.

"Hey what's going on guys?" came a sedated voice. "Heard you all sceamin and hollerin over the radio".

"Nice of you to join us Barley Brew. We got jumped by at least thirty pegasi. Two of them were alphas". Nimbus pulled his goggles over his forehead and wiped the sweat from his eyes. "Your Peregrines came just in time".

"Yeah well, now the parties all over". Barley Brew sounded legitimately disappointed. "Guess I won't be puking all over my cockpit today". Nimbus could swear he head the rattle of a hip flask being opened.

Suddenly a bright flash filled his vision. Squinting, Nimbus turned to see an orange ring rippling through the sky. It followed seconds later by a thunderclap that pounded his chest. The radio went wild with confused shouts and expletives.

"The buck is that!" he heard Rocky say.

Nimbus smirked. "It's called a sonic boom".


End file.
